a disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor. it is classified as a delusional misidentification syndrome, a class of delusional beliefs that involves the misidentification of people, places, or objects. it can occur in acute, transient, or chronic forms. cases in which patients hold the belief that time has been “warped” or “substituted” have also been reported.

the delusion is most common in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, although it can occur in connection with a number of conditions, including brain injury and dementia. it has also been reported as occuring in association with diabetes, hypothyroidism and migraine attacks. it occurs more frequently in females, with a female:male ratio of 3:2.

the prisoner is bound to an inclined board, feet raised and head slightly below the feet. material is wrapped over the prisoner’s face and water is poured over them, asphyxiating the prisoner, thus causing the sensation of drowning.

relates to soiled or dirty material or people.

mysophiliacs may find dirt, soiled underwear, feces, or vomit to be sexually arousing.

it is possible (although not required) for persons with mysophilia to be aroused by unclean locales, such as an alleyway, or a dirty room/bathroom; wearing the same clothing for many days at a time; or not bathing, from mere days to several weeks.

a sexual fetish or paraphilia that involves deriving erotic pleasure from soiling or disheveling the object of one’s desire, usually an attractive person. it may involve tearing or damaging their clothing, covering them in mud or filth, or messing their hair or makeup. the fetish does not involve harming or injuring the subject, only their appearance.

it is related to wet and messy fetishism, bukkake, omorashi, mysophilia, urolagnia and coprophilia, but extends to other areas such a forcing the partner to wear torn or poorly fitting clothing and other actions which would render them normally unattractive.

the fetish sometimes manifests itself in the defacing of statues or pictures of attractive people, especially celebrities. the fetishist finds this sexually exciting, rather than mere vandalism. they sometimes form collections of defaced art for future enjoyment. a video of the fetishist ejaculating on a picture of someone is known colloquially as a “tribute”.

the term comes from the french for soiling, salir. in cases where the fetish is obsessive it is called saliromania. it is frequently confused with salophilia, an attraction to salt or salty things (especially body sweat) that derives from the latin for salt, sal.

a group of psychotic illnesses distinct from paranoia and from schizophrenia. in patients suffering from this type of psychosis, personality decay is minimal, and emotional rapport is well retained. the onset occurs around age 40.

it is characterized by the preoccupation with one or more semisystematized delusions. these delusions are not encapsulated from the rest of the personality as in delusional disorder. the affect is notably well-preserved and appropriate, as is the ability to maintain rapport with others. there is no intellectual deterioration, no flat nor grossly inappropriate affect. disturbance of behavior is understandable in relation to the content of the delusions. the illness is associated with distress and agitation. irrational behaviour may appear as delusions become more vivid and judgment lessens. patients may accuse others of persecution and complain to the authorities.

the predisposing factors in the onset of the disease are associated with severe stressors such as social isolation, migrant status and deafness.

in art, is the space around and between the subject(s) of an image. the use of negative space is a key element of artistic composition. the japanese word “ma” is sometimes used for this concept, for example in garden design.

the use of equal negative space, as a balance to positive space, in a composition is considered by many as good design. this basic and often overlooked principle of design gives the eye a “place to rest,” increasing the appeal of a composition through subtle means. the term is also used by musicians to indicate silence within a piece.

one tool used by art teachers in teaching about positive and negative space was popularized in the book drawing on the right side of the brain. in the exercise, students copy from an upside-down drawing or photograph. because the picture is upside-down, students don’t readily recognize the objects in the picture. they are able to give equal attention to the positive and negative shapes. the result is often a much more accurate drawing.

or labile affect (more informally emotional incontinence) refers to a neurologic disorder characterized by involuntary crying or uncontrollable episodes of crying and/or laughing, or other emotional displays. pba occurs secondary to neurologic disease or brain injury. patients may find themselves crying uncontrollably at something that is only moderately sad, being unable to stop themselves for several minutes. episodes may also be mood-incongruent: a patient might laugh uncontrollably when angry or frustrated, for example.

the symptoms can be severe, with persistent and unremitting episodes, characteristics include:

- the onset can be sudden and unpredictable, and has been described by some patients as coming on like a seizure;
- the outburst have a typical duration of 30 seconds to 4 minutes;
- outbursts happen typically 4-5 episodes a day; however many patients experience as many as 40-50 episodes per week.